Absorbent articles such as disposable diapers are well known. To give an explanation on one configuration of an absorbent article, there is an absorbent article including an absorbent body that absorbs liquid, and having a main absorbent body that is put against the crotch when worn, a back-side band that intersects the main absorbent body at one longitudinal end portion of the main absorbent article and that is positioned on the back side when worn, an abdominal-side band that intersects the absorbent body at another longitudinal end portion of the absorbent article and that is positioned on the abdominal-side when worn. There is also an absorbent article that has two protruding portions protruding from both ends, formed on the back-side band and the abdominal-side band, respectively of the main absorbent body in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the main absorbent body.
The manufacturing line for this absorbent article with the above configuration has, while transporting the continuous back-side band and abdominal-side band base materials in the transport direction, a process of joining one longitudinal end portion of the main absorbent body base material to the above-mentioned back-side band base material and a process of joining the other longitudinal end portion to the above-mentioned abdominal-side band base material, so that the transport direction intersects the longitudinal direction of the main absorbent body base material. With this process, the main absorbent body base material is transported in the transport direction that intersects the longitudinal direction thereof, in a state spanning across the back-side band base material and the abdominal-side band base material. (For example, refer to FIG. 5)
Further, the above-described manufacturing line has a process of overlapping the back-side band base material with the abdominal-side band base material so that the main absorbent body base material is folded, after joining the main absorbent body base material to the back-side band base material and the abdominal-side band base material. Thereafter, the overlapped back-side band base material and the abdominal-side band base material are cut with a device such as that disclosed in PTL 1 to form a back-side band base material piece and an abdominal-side band base material piece. The pieces of band base materials formed and the main absorbent body base material joined to the pieces of the band base material continue to be transported in the transport direction. (See PTL 1)